Authors: Lina Gardiner
Unaware she'd fallen, but flat on her back on the floor, she tried to focus. Her mind warred against whatever was trying to incapacitate her. She stared at the walls covered with leather and mirrors—lots of mirrors. She remembered telling Britt vampires couldn't see themselves in mirrors, and he'd actually believed her until she laughed. Was Vaslov naïve enough to think the same thing?
Suddenly, she realized Vaslov was gone. Why had he left her alone? What had happened to Britt? A faint heartbeat echoed through the mirrored wall. Was that him? Torn between finding Britt to make sure he was okay, and finding out who was behind the wall, she gambled that Britt could hold his own against that mountain of a doorman she'd seen earlier in the outer office.
Sluggishly, she got to her feet and stared at one section of mirror with joining lines that were a little wider than the rest. Could this be a door?
She pushed it. Nothing happened.
Staggering to the desk, she searched the drawers, then looked beneath the desk and found a button. When she pressed it the mirrored door swung open.
Odors from inside began to waft into the office, and she felt funny again. If she went inside would she risk total incapacitation?
At this point, she didn't have a choice. She had to find out what Drago was doing to her.
Hanging on to the door casing, she stumbled into a smaller room. Completely decorated in some sort of South American motif. An ancient clay pot sat in the middle of the room. She stood over it and peered inside. It was half full of something that looked like beeswax. Made sense the South Americans used beeswax in their daily lives, but why would Vaslov have it?
"I'm so glad you decided to accept my offer, Jess."
She knew that scent. She turned slowly to face familiar, cold eyes. How'd he get in this small room without her seeing him?
"We meet again,” she said to the vampire who'd been stalking her. “You gave me quite a run the other night before you destroyed our vehicle. Quite a parlor trick.” She still pressed her hand against the wall to hold her weight.
Britt might be in more danger than she'd previously expected.
How long had she been unconscious this time? Her heart rate elevated in a way a vampire's rarely does.
The massive, tattooed vampire grinned at her, his black eyes boring into hers and his long teeth a vicious reminder that he would be an impressive enemy.
What had this room, this urn, to do with anything? Why had Vaslov wanted her inside here so badly? “What is this about?"
He pointed long fingernails at the urn. “That, my dearest, is the key to illumination."
"Is it a drug?"
He laughed, his soulless eyes taking in every nuance of her body. “Not exactly. But it has the ability to open your mind to new things."
Jess widened her feet into a fighting stance. “Sounds like a drug to me.” She scanned the room and noticed Drago Vaslov slumped in the corner. He still had a faint heartbeat, but there were two puncture holes in his neck. He was dying.
"It's merely an herb mixed into the beeswax. Something that comes from the jungles of South America. Quite common really, but its special abilities have been forgotten over the centuries. Vaslov found it quite by accident."
Jess stared at the oversized monster with a dragon tattoo on his bald head. Why would he bother to tell her so much?
When he dipped two fingers into the wax, she felt a buzzing at the back of her brain. She tried to block out that scent. Bizarre, yet somehow familiar.
Was it the cologne that Vaslov wore?
"Why do I know you?” Jess asked.
He gave her a patronizing smile. “That's why we had to meet this way. You've been able to disconnect from me. When I found Vaslov's little niche market years ago, I realized, when the time was right, this paste could help reunite us once again—with or without your brother."
She put her hands on her hips, fear spreading throughout her chest. “What are you talking about?"
"Don't pretend you can't sense who I am. Even though you've been able to disassociate yourself from your own kind, you have to know deep down exactly who I am.” His face contorted, and his lips curled back to display his feral grin. “I've been leaving gifts for you. Hints so you could find me, so you could come to me without prejudice."
Jess frowned. “Gifts? What gifts?"
He sighed and rolled his eyes. “I paid homage to you in Central Park—several times."
Those dead women! “You're crazy.” Jess backed away. The truth of who he was threatened to choke her.
"I've been satisfying myself with women who have physical similarities to you while waiting for your brother to die. He kept us apart, kept your mind from letting me in,” He laughed. “I was willing to wait as long as you remained celibate. For me.” His eyes closed for a second and then flashed open. Anger burning behind his bloodshot orbs.
"If you were waiting for my brother to die, why are you here now?” Fear clotted inside her.
The vampire made an angry, throaty noise. “Why? Because you nearly broke your vow of chastity with a human. Worse, this human is planning on becoming your protector, taking over for your brother.” He reached one hand out, tried to touch her face, but she backed away as he continued, “He had the ability to keep you from becoming mine for another fifty years. I'm not willing to wait that long for you to become a full-blooded vampire with all the urges and carnal needs that come with it. I want you now, Jess. I can wait no longer."
She swallowed. “I'll never be yours. No matter what you do to me."
"Never say never. Vaslov was on to something. Too bad he was human and incapable of knowing the full potential of this paste.” The vampire closed his eyes, and she felt dizziness rising up like a tsunami inside her. She tried to fight it, but it was beyond her ability.
Damn it!
She needed Britt. Where was he?
She backed away from him, willing her mind to put up walls against whatever it was he was doing to her.
"Mannie, stop this,” Vaslov mumbled weakly from the corner.
"Mannie?” Jess frowned at him. Imagined him with hair. Her eyes narrowed. “Michai Constantine?” She'd fought many vampires over the years, but coming face to face with the bastard who'd ruined her life forever was something she'd given up on years ago.
Mannie's smile grew, and he bowed slightly to Jess, the whole time eyeing her body with renewed lasciviousness.
"You're the one who turned me into a vampire,” she choked out, dread and anger warring inside her.
"Finally! I thought you'd never notice.” His sick voice scraped over her, made her want to tear open his throat.
Suddenly, a figure with a wax face appeared beside Constantine. Somehow Constantine looked surprised. “How are you doing that?” he screamed at her.
"I'm not. I thought it was you.” She tried to force her lethargic limbs to move. To get away from the monster who'd ruined her life.
The vision moved toward Constantine with one hand out, index finger pointing. He slashed out a hand to fend off the attacker, but his hand went right through the apparition.
Then Constantine laughed. “A parlor trick? You think a mere parlor trick will scare me?"
To his surprise the finger physically touched his temple, Constantine reached up and pulled something sticky away from his skin. “What the hell? How'd you do that?” he screamed.
Jess could see the yellowish substance clinging to his temple. Then she watched the vision float away and disappear back into Drago's body.
An apparition he'd sent. He'd tried to help her.
Drago turned and stared at Vaslov lying on the floor, then spat on him. “You're dying, Vaslov. You've used the last of your energy on a weak parlor trick."
Vaslov looked very pale, and he didn't open his eyes.
The vampire turned his attention back to Jess. “Even with the use of this paste, I haven't been able to completely control you. You're the only one who's been able to block me. You're strong.” His lascivious gaze devoured her from head to toe. “And you're the woman I will have in every way possible, thanks to this South American find."
Vaslov groaned from the corner. Jess allowed a quick glance in his direction. The man was full of surprises. He'd actually regained some of his strength and was trying to stand.
When the outer office door suddenly flew inward and Britt burst into the room, Jess chanced a quick glance at him. He was beaten and bruised, but he was alive. In his right hand, he held his Ruger.
"Britt, stay back. He's very strong. He's Vaslov's assistant, Mannie. The reason we've never seen him before is because he's also Constantine, the vampire who turned me,” she said the words with slow deliberation, hoping to give Britt time to protect himself.
"I heard everything he said to you.” Britt tapped the headset he now wore, one he'd taken from his assailant.
Keeping the gun on Constantine, Britt reached out and wrapped his arm around Jess's waist to support her. “Against the two of us, he doesn't stand a chance, babe."
A roar of disgust filled the air, turning Britt's insides to the ice cold of death. And he'd thought Jess could send chills through him!
Along with those chills came a paralyzing rush that felt like ice crystals forming inside Britt's head—pervasive and debilitating. The vampire was fogging his mind.
"No!” Britt shouted, letting Jess go. He started speaking the words from the ancient text that Sampson had taught him. When both vampire and Jess began to scream, he stopped instantly, but not before Jess slumped against the wall and slid to the ground.
What had the words done to her?The vampire, still standing, laughed. “You'll pay for your choice of friends, human. You'll pay for an eternity."
He dove at Britt, fangs extended. Even though Britt was able to extricate his stake from its holster, it felt too heavy to hold. Britt aimed for the vampire's heart, but those ice crystals in his brain were slowing his movements.
"Britt, get out of here. He's using tactics we might not be able to combat,” Jess ground out. “I can't move. Constantine is controlling me."
"No, Jess. This has to end. Here and now. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get this creep off your ass."
"I don't want you to, Britt. You'll get hurt. I can't help you."
The logic center in Britt's brain began to seize. He had to act fast or he'd be totally under the vampire's control. Luckily Jess's words had broken his hold long enough for Britt to regain some of his strength.
"No matter what happens to me, Jess. I love you heart and soul. Nothing will ever really take me away from you,” Britt said.
"You will die!” Constantine screamed, angry to the point of insanity at Britt's words.
Even while Britt rushed at Constantine, he knew in his heart, this was a battle he'd lose. His freewill was almost nonexistent by the time Constantine's teeth sank into his carotid artery and he felt his life's blood draining away. Too late for Cyanide.
At the last moment a dark void swallowed him whole.
Jess watched with horror from her position on the floor. Unable to move, she screamed, “Britt, fight him. Don't let him take you from me! I love you!"
Constantine whipped around with Britt's neck still in his mouth. His cold stare burned into her until he finished draining Britt then dropped him to the floor like a rag doll.
Blinding tears hung on Jess's eyelashes. She closed her eyes, forcing the tears to spill down her face while she focused on regaining her strength. She had to get to Britt before it was too late. She might still be able to save him.
Using methods of prayer and meditation that Regent had taught her, she concentrated on bringing her body back to its full physical strength and forcing her mind to shake off the effects of the drug. Pain spiked through her skull, but she ignored it. She had to get to Britt.
Before she could push herself off the floor, however, Drago had managed to stand. Weaving and looking like death on a slab, he rushed at Constantine.
"Help me, Jess,” Vaslov said through clenched teeth. “I can't do this by myself."
Constantine laughed. “To think that for the past twenty years I've let this insipid human think he was superior to me. All to gain control of you, Jess.” He put a hand around Vaslov's neck, and squeezed. Vaslov gurgled.
"Stop it Constantine,” Jess screamed.
Constantine looked at her, excitement evident in his evil gaze. “So you do remember me."
"I remember you,” she spat out. “To think I let you do this to me. You lured me away from the job that night fifty years ago. You lured me away to kill me."
His smile turned menacing. “Don't deceive yourself. You wanted me. You wanted this. After all, I was the only male on the force who accepted a woman police officer. How could you not fall for me?"
"You used your vampire skills to blind me to the truth. Don't pretend I would have wanted you otherwise."
He scowled and dropped a choking Vaslov to the floor. “As one of my creations, you have no choice but to bow to my wishes. I am your master. You will forget the humans and their frailties once you accept your true allegiance. When your brother is gone and you have no protector, you'll come crawling to me, begging me to take you back and protect you from your own brethren."
Jess cast a glance at Britt's unmoving form on the floor. She couldn't see his face since his back was turned to her, but Constantine had drained too much of his blood, of that she was sure. He needed a transfusion and fast.
She dug deep and fought the residual affects of the paste. She called upon every Saint and guardian angel in her repertoire. Then, even though they hadn't spoken for a very long time, she asked God for help. She had to save Britt.
"You're mine now, and he'll never have you again,” Constantine said, grinning wickedly at Britt's body.
"She's stronger than you know, vampire. She can fight from the inside. You'll never be able to contain her spirit."
Jess heard Britt's words even though his body hadn't moved. His words had been inside her head. Had he really spoken them, or had he instilled that belief in her? She chanted a silent prayer for Britt's salvation, while reaching for her blade.